Quick answer. Maine's law sets the wording below. We show six forms: acknowledgment (individual), acknowledgment (representative capacity), jurat (verification on oath or affirmation), signature witnessing, copy certification and remote or electronic act statement. The remote-act statement is in 4 MRSA §1915(10)(B).
Which Maine certificate do I use?
| Act | Use it when | Maine source |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment (individual) | The signer declares that the signature on the document is theirs and that they signed willingly. No oath is given. Deeds, powers of attorney and many contracts use it. | 4 MRSA §1917(1) |
| Acknowledgment (representative capacity) | Like an acknowledgment, but the signer signs for someone else: a company, a trust, a partnership, or a principal under a power of attorney. The certificate names the capacity and the party represented. | 4 MRSA §1917(2) |
| Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) | The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true, and signs in front of you. Affidavits and other sworn statements use it. | 4 MRSA §1917(3) |
| Signature witnessing | You watch the signer sign and confirm who they are. There is no oath, and the signer does not need to state that the contents are true. | 4 MRSA §1917(4) |
| Copy certification | You certify that a copy is a true copy of an original presented to you, only for documents your state lets notaries copy (vital records and recorded documents are usually excluded). | 4 MRSA §1917(5) |
| Remote or electronic act statement | The signer appears by audio-video communication technology instead of in person, where your state authorizes it and you have any required approval. The certificate must say so. | 4 MRSA §1915(10)(B) |
Maine certificate wording
Acknowledgment (individual) Statutory wording
The signer declares that the signature on the document is theirs and that they signed willingly. No oath is given. Deeds, powers of attorney and many contracts use it.
State of ……………………………
County of ……………………………
This record was acknowledged before me on ………… (Date) by ………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s))
………………………………… Signature of notarial officer
Stamp or printed name …………………
[…………………………] Title of office
[My commission expires: ……………]
Acknowledgment (representative capacity) Statutory wording
Like an acknowledgment, but the signer signs for someone else: a company, a trust, a partnership, or a principal under a power of attorney. The certificate names the capacity and the party represented.
State of ……………………………
County of ……………………………
This record was acknowledged before me on ………… (Date) by ………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s)) as (type of authority, such as officer or trustee) of (name of party on behalf of whom record was executed).
………………………………… Signature of notarial officer
Stamp or printed name …………………
[…………………………] Title of office
[My commission expires: ……………]
Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) Statutory wording
The signer swears or affirms that the statements in the document are true, and signs in front of you. Affidavits and other sworn statements use it.
State of ……………………………
County of ……………………………
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ………… (Date) by ………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s) making statement)
………………………………… Signature of notarial officer
Stamp or printed name …………………
[…………………………] Title of office
[My commission expires: ……………]
Signature witnessing Statutory wording
You watch the signer sign and confirm who they are. There is no oath, and the signer does not need to state that the contents are true.
State of ……………………………
County of ……………………………
Signed [or attested] before me on …………. (Date) by …………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s))
………………………………… Signature of notarial officer
Stamp or printed name …………………
[…………………………] Title of office
[My commission expires: ……………]
Copy certification Statutory wording
You certify that a copy is a true copy of an original presented to you, only for documents your state lets notaries copy (vital records and recorded documents are usually excluded).
State of ……………………………
County of ……………………………
I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ……………………………
Dated ……………………
………………………………… Signature of notarial officer
Stamp or printed name …………………
[…………………………] Title of office
[My commission expires: ……………]
Remote or electronic act statement Statutory wording
The signer appears by audio-video communication technology instead of in person, where your state authorizes it and you have any required approval. The certificate must say so.
This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.
4 MRSA §1915(9) says the certificate and the §1917 short form must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology; this statement is the one §1915(10)(B) treats as sufficient.
What a Maine certificate must contain
- The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you in the same manner as on file with the Secretary of State, identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title of office and your commission expiration date, and contains your legibly printed or typed name. (4 MRSA §1916(1); 4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- On a paper record an official stamp may be affixed or embossed (the short forms say Stamp or printed name). On an electronic record a notary public's official stamp must be attached to or logically associated with the certificate. (4 MRSA §1916(2); 4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- Copy certification: determine that the copy is a full, true and accurate transcription or reproduction. You may also certify that a paper copy of an electronic record is accurate. (4 MRSA §§1904(2), 1905(4); 4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
Common Maine certificate mistakes
Summarized in our own words from the official sources named after each item.
- Forgetting your legibly printed or typed name; Maine requires it on every certificate. (4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- Leaving out the commission expiration date. (4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- Completing the certificate after the act instead of at the time of it. (4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- On an electronic record, leaving off the official electronic stamp. (4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
- Leaving the communication-technology statement off a remote certificate. (4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026))
The Maine certificate wording pack
$15 one time. The wording on this page is public law and stays free here; the pack is the fill-in files and the organizing.
- A one-page "which certificate do I use?" chart for Maine: each act, when it's used and the section it comes from.
- The Maine wording reference: every form on this page with its source, plus what a Maine certificate must contain (venue, seal, commission details).
- Fill-in certificates in Word, one per page, with matching PDFs, so you can attach a loose certificate when a document needs one.
- A common-mistakes checklist from the official sources: five items for Maine, each with its source.
See the Maine certificate wording pack
Sources
- 4 MRSA chapter 39, Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (Maine Legislature, generated 10.05.2026) (checked November 7, 2026)
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Notaries follow their own state's law and the official handbook, and the receiving office decides what it accepts, so nothing here guarantees a document will be accepted. If anything here differs from what the Maine Secretary of State, notary public program tells you, follow the office.
Maine certificate questions
What is the Maine acknowledgment certificate wording?
4 MRSA §1917(1) gives: "State of …………………………… County of …………………………… This record was acknowledged before me on ………… (Date) by ………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s))" It closes with Signature of notarial officer, Stamp or printed name and [] Title of office.
What is the Maine jurat wording?
4 MRSA §1917(3) gives: "State of …………………………… County of …………………………… Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ………… (Date) by ………………………… (Name(s) of individual(s) making statement)" Use it only when you give the signer an oath or affirmation and they sign in front of you.
Can a Maine notary certify a copy?
Yes, within limits. 4 MRSA §1917(5) gives: "State of …………………………… County of …………………………… I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of …………………………… Dated ……………………"
What else must a Maine notarial certificate show?
The certificate is executed at the time of the act, signed and dated by you in the same manner as on file with the Secretary of State, identifies the jurisdiction, contains your title of office and your commission expiration date, and contains your legibly printed or typed name. On a paper record an official stamp may be affixed or embossed (the short forms say Stamp or printed name). On an electronic record a notary public's official stamp must be attached to or logically associated with the certificate.
Is there a Maine remote notarization statement?
Yes. 4 MRSA §1915(10)(B): "This notarial act involved the use of communication technology." 4 MRSA §1915(9) says the certificate and the §1917 short form must indicate that the act was performed using communication technology; this statement is the one §1915(10)(B) treats as sufficient.
Who decides which Maine certificate to use?
The person asking for the notarization, or whoever drafted the document, tells you which notarial act they need; a notary who isn't an attorney shouldn't choose it for them. If a document has no certificate, follow the Maine Secretary of State, notary public program's guidance. We are not lawyers, and nothing here promises that a receiving office will accept a document.
Related: All states · Becoming a notary in Maine · Notary work in Maine · Maryland certificate wording · Minnesota certificate wording